Drivers of Digital Attention: Evidence from a Social Media Experiment

Abstract

In this paper I report the results of an experiment where I continuously monitor how participants spend time on digital services and shut off their access to Instagram or YouTube on their phones for 1 or 2 weeks. I use the resulting data on how participants substitute their time during and after the restrictions in order to uncover a rich picture of the demand for social media and entertainment applications. I illustrate how the estimated substitution patterns can be used to guide questions of market definition that have troubled regulators.